


At 8 & At 12

by bearsofalthain



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, I just wanna write fluffy akihamu....., IM CRYIGn, Mailwoman Hamuko, Policeman Akihiko, deep thoughts about l i f e maybe, dorm caretaker/chef Shinji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 22:57:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21465904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearsofalthain/pseuds/bearsofalthain
Summary: Twice a day, the serious policeman and the energetic mailwoman of Iwatodai cross paths.
Relationships: Arisato Minako/Sanada Akihiko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	At 8 & At 12

A police officer on patrol and a mailwoman making her rounds.

An unlikely pair, they were, but with how small Iwatodai was it wasn’t to anyone’s surprise that they would run into each other every day.

It was the same thing every morning. Akihiko would depart from the police station at around 8:00. Make sure nothing was out of the ordinary.

At around 8:26am, just as he was reaching Port Island Station, he’d encounter her. The energetic redhead, bounding by with her light brown messenger bag and red scarf.

“Oh, good morning, officer Sanada!” She’d greet cheerfully before heading towards Rafflesia, the florist shop by the staircase.

“Good morning, Fuuka-chan!” She’d sing, doing a little dance as her teal-haired friend set up shop for the day. “Your package has arrived! Planting some new seeds?”

“Good morning to you too, Hamuko-chan,” the florist would giggle. “How are you today?”

They would chat for a bit, then the mailwoman would flutter off to her next destination. Akihiko hardly ever got the chance to greet her back.

But at approximately 12:53pm, as he was on his lunch break/afternoon patrol, Akihiko would catch a glimpse of her again – this time at Iwatodai Strip Mall. 

She would always hang around the old bookstore for a little while, presumably to talk with the elderly couple who owned it, then pop by the takoyaki stand to chat with its eccentric owner.

Every now and then she’d make eye contact with Akihiko and smile at him before disappearing yet again.

She was so… Elusive, in a way, yet such a constant in the lives of everyone in town.

Akihiko would then return to the police station and carry on with the rest of the day, fulfilling his usual duties as one of the few police offers in a small town. He wouldn’t see the lively mailwoman again until the next day when the cycle repeated once more, so…

Why was it that today, at exactly 4:37pm…

“’Afternoon, Officer Sanada!”

Akihiko was confused. What was Arisato Hamuko, the mailwoman in charge of Tatsumi Port Island and the outskirts of Iwatodai City, doing at the police station at a time like this?

“Oh, um… Good afternoon,” he greeted awkwardly. “Sorry, was there a delivery scheduled today? I think I might have missed a memo or something.”

The mailwoman shook her head. “No, no! Actually, it’s a personal letter. It’s addressed to you.”

She handed him a flowery pink envelope sealed with a cheap heart-shaped sticker. There was neither a stamp nor a return address; all that was written on it was _‘To Polees Ofeesur Sanada’_ in messy crayon scribbling.

“Or at least, I assume so!” She mused.

“For me? Why?”

Hamuko giggled. “Maybe it’s fanmail from one of your fans, Officer. Probably from a little girl. How cute!”

Akihiko frowned. “But there’s no stamp on it. This is illegal.”

Hamuko blinked. “Eh?”

“You can’t send mail without a stamp, right? Don’t you have to return this and ask them for one?” Akihiko was bewildered.

Hamuko couldn’t hold herself back. She burst out laughing. Sure, this was a police officer she was dealing with, but…

“O-Officer Sanada,” she giggled, wiping away a tear. “Jeez, you’re so serious! It’s okay, I’ll pay for the stamp. But you should read it when you’re free, okay? I’m curious to know what it says myself.”

Akihiko let out a small _hmm. _“Well, alright. Thanks, Arisato.”

“Anytime.” The mailwoman was about to leave but paused and turned on her heel just as she was heading out the door.

“You know, it’s funny. We see each other every day, yet this is the first time we’ve properly talked, isn’t it?” She pointed out. “Apart from deliveries, I mean. I’ve already been here two months.”

“You’re right,” Akihiko realized. “Sorry, I know I don’t always greet you back in the mornings.”

Hamuko smiled. Her expression was warm and kind. “No worries. Hey, wanna go grab dinner together sometime?”

“Ah, sure.”

“Awesome!” Hamuko’s eyes lit up. “Then, I’ll see you around, okay?”

Akihiko watched as she left, somewhat stunned.

* * *

“Oh, Arisato? Yeah, she’s like that with everybody. She’s too friendly for her own good.”

Akihiko watched as his best friend stirred an enormous pot of curry. Shinjiro was the caretaker of Iwatodai dormitory and often prepared meals for the students residing there. He always scolded his officer friend for taking advantage of him to get free food, but they both knew Shinjiro truly enjoyed their meals together. Besides, Shinjiro was genuinely concerned that Akihiko would be living on nothing but beef bowls, instant noodles and protein powder otherwise.

“You talk with her often?” Akihiko finished setting the table.

“Sometimes,” Shinjiro mused. “When she comes by to hang out with Ken. Remember him? He’s one of the kids living here. Brown hair. Orange hoodie. They watch some weird anime on TV together.”

He glanced over at the letter Akihiko had left on the coffee table. “What’s that? A love letter?”

Akihiko raised an eyebrow, but moved to open the letter.

“What’s it say?” Shinjiro was curious, though, he wasn’t about to pry if it was really anything private.

Akihiko squinted as he tried to make out the messy scrawls.

“‘Thank… Thank you for saving me,’” he read aloud. “‘From the mean kitty that scratched me the other day. Your my hero.’”

He scanned the last sentence again. “It’s ‘you’re’.” He nodded to himself.

Shinjiro rolled his eyes. “Good job, Akihiko. So, when was this?”

Akihiko scratched his head, trying to recall his memory. “Oh, I know. Two days ago there was a grade-schooler accidentally stepped on a cat’s tail. The cat chased her all the way to Port Island Station and she wouldn’t leave the washroom till the cat was gone. Poor girl stayed there for over an hour.”

Shinjiro hummed. “’That so. Must be nice being called a hero, huh, Aki?”

Akihiko slumped down on the sofa, the letter clutched in his hand. “We both know I’m not _really _a hero, Shinji. I mean, what am I? I’m supposed to be a police officer, but as much as I love Iwatodai, nothing ever happens here. The biggest case we’ve had in the last three months was Junpei stealing a new manga volume by accident because he was so engrossed in it that he left the store without paying.”

Shinjiro chewed on his lip as he spooned a large portion of curry into a bowl for his friend. “Isn’t it better for it to be peaceful?”

Akihiko shot up from the sofa. “Of course it is!” His eyes were wide. “I mean, I’m not saying I want something bad to happen, but… I wish something _exciting _would. You know?”

He let out a huge, troubled sigh. “I’m tired of doing the same thing over and over. It’s the same thing every day. I want to get out there and fight, you know? To protect something!” He made swift jabs the air, as if to demonstrate his point.

Shinjiro set down the bowl, watching Akihiko carefully. “Then why did you turn down all those offers back in high school? You know how many times people tried to scout you, Mr Captain of the Boxing Team. You could’ve been a national star by now.”

“That’s because–!” Akihiko growled, but stopped himself midway. He sighed and looked down at the ground with a defeated expression. “You… You know why.”

Shinjiro felt his chest tighten. “I know. You don’t want to leave Miki alone, huh.”

The two men shared a moment of silence.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s okay.”

Miki, Akihiko’s little sister, had passed away right before she entered middle school. Akihiko, overwhelmed and mad at himself for being unable to protect her, took up boxing as a way to both learn a martial art and to vent his feelings. But even now, it all felt pointless.

He didn’t know how he felt. It wasn’t a matter of being a hero, whether to a small town with vengeful cats and accidental manga thieves or a big city filled with crimes and syndicates. It wasn’t about him being a police officer in his hometown instead of a big shot boxer known across Japan. Akihiko didn’t know what he was so frustrated about, what he was so mad about. He just felt confused. Bored, frustrated and confused.

“I… I don’t know.” He stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. Sorry, Shinji.”

Shinjiro huffed, but let slip a tiny smile in understanding. “It’s fine. Now come and eat your damn curry before the kids get back.”

* * *

Hamuko hummed a cheerful tune to herself as she made her morning rounds, a spring in her step.

“Let’s see, what do we have later today... Oh! New tennis rackets for Rio! Ahh, and Maiko-chan’s dad sent her a package, she’ll be so happy… Ooh, and more fan mail for Yukari-chan! She's doing so well!”

Hamuko loved her job. Sure, it wasn’t the flashiest or most prestigious, but it gave her a sense of fulfilment to see people smile whenever they received something. Whether it was an unexpected letter from a friend abroad or a parcel ordered by the person themselves, it was always so lovely to see their delighted expressions.

Plus, the people in Iwatodai were so nice. She’d only moved here a few months ago, but already she loved it more than the big city. Everyone was so warm and friendly, and though the town was small, there was never any shortage of things to do. The place was filled with such interesting characters, after all, and her job gave her the chance to move around and chat with many of them.

Speaking of interesting characters…

“Officer Sanada! Good morning!” She called out to the white-haired police officer at the top of the Port Island Station stairs. She’d never really gotten the chance to talk to him till yesterday, and she wanted to get to know him a little more. “Hi! How was the letter?”

Akihiko had been spacing out, and the sudden call of his name appeared to have thrust him back into reality. “Huh? Oh. Uh, good morning, Arisato.”

Hamuko tilted her head. “Officer Sanada…?”

Without thinking twice, she began climbing up the stairs. Akihiko usually had a serious expression on his face when they crossed paths in the morning, but today he just looked completely out of it. Sure, they were barely acquaintances, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that something was wrong.

“Wha’s wrong, Officer Sanada?” Hamuko’s voice was full of worry and concern. “Shall I get you some water? Would you like to talk about it?”

Akihiko blinked. “Huh? Oh… No, I’m fine. Thanks, Arisato.”

“Are you sure?”

Akihiko rubbed his temples. “Yeah… I think… I just have a lot to think about right now. Um, sorry. You were in the middle of your morning deliveries, weren’t you?”

Hamuko grinned. “It’s alright, I’ve got a bit of time to spare.”

She ushered him to sit down on the steps. “Hey, sit here for a bit, won’t you? I’ll go get you something to drink.”

“Ah, wait, it’s –” But Hamuko was already hopping down the steps towards the vending machines.

Akihiko was speechless. His mind was too full at the moment to register what was going on, so he simply sat down obediently.

“Here you go.” Hamuko returned a minute later with a tall can of Cylon Tea. She gently placed it in Akihiko’s hands and plopped down next to him, smoothing out her skirt as she sat.

“…Sorry, I know I’m being a little pushy,” Hamuko admitted, her tone much softer now. “It’s none of my business, and you don’t need to tell me what’s going on, either. But it looks like you have a lot on your mind, so at least for five minutes… Let’s just sit here, okay?”

Akihiko glanced down at the can of tea in his hands. It was hot to the touch, but not burning. He wasn’t much of a tea person, but the warmth of the can was welcome and flowed throughout his body.

He looked back at the mailwoman – the young lady he’d always seen but barely spoken to, who was now asking him for five minutes of his time and nothing more, who was staying by his side for his own sake even though he’d given her absolutely no reason to.

This cheerful, boisterous mailwoman who’d paused her duties to look after someone who was basically a stranger.

“Okay,” he replied.

They stayed like that in peaceful silence until the five minutes were up.

* * *

“Is everything alright, Sanada?”

Officer Kurosawa looked up from his desk as Akihiko entered the police station. His colleague usually returned from his morning patrol practically the exact same time every day, but today he’d returned a little later. He appeared slightly flustered as well.

“I’m alright. Sorry to worry you,” Akihiko apologized. He sighed and removed his hat, combing through his hair with his fingers.

Those five minutes with Hamuko had felt like forever, yet not long enough. Somehow, having the mailwoman next to him had helped him tremendously – though worries still plagued his thoughts, his mind was definitely much clearer now. Much calmer.

What a nice person she was.

It had been a simple gesture, but he wanted to make sure to repay her. So when he spotted her at 12:53pm at Iwatodai Strip Mall, this time, he called out to her.

“Arisato!”

“Oh, Officer Sanada!” Hamuko smiled and bounded over to him. “Hey! Are you feeling better?”

Akihiko scratched the back of his head. “Ahh… Yeah, I am. Thanks a lot for this morning. Arisato. You really helped me out.”

Hamuko’s expression brightened. “Don’t mention it! I didn’t do much. I’m just glad you’re feeling better,” she heaved a sigh of relief. “Are you on your lunch break now?”

“Yeah. And you?”

“In a bit. I’ve got a few more deliveries to make.”

Akihiko’s chest twanged with guilt at the realization. “Oh, sorry… I held you up this morning, didn’t I.”

“No, no, not at all! It’s just a busy day today. And there was a bit of a mix-up earlier.”

“I see,” Akihiko nodded. He wasn’t very good at small talk, so he figured he may as well just ask directly. “Um, could I treat you to dinner or something sometime? I’d like to repay you for earlier.”

“Repay…? Oh! No, there’s no need to,” Hamuko giggled. Akihiko’s awkward formality was oddly endearing. “But we already promised to grab dinner sometime, didn’t we? So it works out.”

Akihiko blinked in realization. “Oh!” His mouth twitche. “You’re right. Yeah, let’s go. How about tomorrow? I know a great place.”

“It’s on!”

Hamuko held out her fist expectantly. It took a moment for Akihiko to understand what she was trying to do, but he smiled, curled his right hand into a fist and gently bumped hers.

* * *

“What makes you so sure she won’t like beef bowls?!”

Shinjiro stared at Akihiko in exasperation. He wondered if he should just deep-fry something for dinner that day, if only for the sake of drowning out his idiot friend’s stubborn rambling. Normally, he wouldn’t mind a good debate, but they’d been over this topic so, so many times before.

“Aki, for the last time, that’s not the point. The point is that you can’t keep going around telling people you ‘know a great place’ for food and get their hopes up when it’s just the damn beef bowl shop.”

“But_everyone _knows how great the beef bowl shop is!”

“_Exactly!_So just tell them you’re bringing them to the blasted beef bowl shop!”

Akihiko tried to find the words to argue back but found none, so instead he settled for huffing and sulking on the sofa.

“…it’s still great, though...”

No matter how old they got, he always found himself acting a little more childishly around Shinjiro and Mitsuru. Maybe it was because they’d known one another for so long. Too long.

Shinjiro sighed. “I’m sure Arisato will be fine with beef bowls. Honestly, I feel like she’d be okay with pretty much anything.” He tossed a handful of bay leaves into a pot.

Tonight he was making spaghetti. He opted for a slightly smaller pot than the previous day’s, though, since most of the dorm residents were going to be back late due to club activities.

That didn’t include Ken, apparently. The brunet came down the staircase, seemingly enticed by the aroma of the spaghetti sauce.

“Are you talking about Hamu-chan, Shinjiro-san?” His eyes were shining, but froze for a moment when he noticed Akihiko. He entered the kitchen, scratching his cheek nervously.

“Evening, Officer Sanada. Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I thought I heard Hamu-chan’s name, so…”

“Hamu-chan?” Akihiko queried.

“You were talking about Arisato Hamuko, the mailwoman, right?” Ken furrowed his eyebrows. At Akihiko’s nod, he grinned. “Yeah, that’s Hamu-chan!”

“They’re real close,” Shinjiro reminded his friend. “They watch that _Weatherman _show or whatever together.”

“It’s_Phoenix Ranger Featherman R_,” Ken retorted, though he seemed slightly embarrassed. “Anyway, that’s not all. She’s real cool and super fun to hang out with. She’s awesome at the arcade games.”

“Oh yeah?” Shinjiro smiled. He knew how fond the usually reserved Ken was of the mail lady.

“Yeah! She’s the best. She’s like a big sister. And… How should I say it… It’s easy for me to be myself around her.” Ken looked down.

“I think I get what you mean,” Akihiko hummed. “Hey, Amada?”

Ken looked up, suddenly alert. “Yes, Officer Sanada?”

“Do you think Arisato likes beef bowls?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“I mean, I guess Hamu–”

“Aki, get out.”

“But the spaghetti –”

“Go eat your great beef bowls instead.”

**Author's Note:**

> when I finished P3P I immediately started bawling and had to write an Akihamu fic ;_; this was supposed to be a long one-shot but I think it'll be more manageable, at least for now, to have it as several short chapters. 
> 
> also I've been watching those videos of people making large amounts of food for bento boxes for students n the thought of Shinji cooking and doing that for kids in the dorm.... I'm weak hnfdjgdlg
> 
> It's been forever since I've written anything lmao so please do let me know how I can improve in any way! Thanks for reading!


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